The Frequently Asked Questions list is compiled from questions we have received from individuals who encountered
problems while working with HTML and webpage design.
The list covers real problems with real solutions. There is usually more than one way of solving the same problem so we have provided solutions that are the easiest to understand and apply.
This FAQ is maintained by the Prodesk staff, http://www.prodesk.com/. Although we cannot compensate anyone for questions or suggestions, we welcome all contributions. Comments or questions should be sent to suggestion@prodesk.com
I'm not familiar with HTML yet. Is there a software I can use to create my web pages?
Sure. Here's a list of some commonly used software and where to go on the internet to get them:
AolPress http://www.aolpress.com
The rest of these can be found at http://www.download.com
HotMetal Pro
Dreamweaver
HotDog
Cool Page
Web Page Creator
CoffeeCup HTML Editor
(more can be found by searching for "web page" or similar keywords)
You can also use the latest versions of MS Word, MS Publisher or WordPerfect to create documents and then "Save As" HTML (WebPage) documents. Of course, if you have FrontPage, you can use that also - just keep a "how-to" manual handy.
I have designed my first webpage and uploaded it to my server. But, I cannot get it to show up unless I type the
entire URL including the filename of the webpage. How do I get the page to pop up by typing just the website
address?
What you need to do is save the web page onto your website and call it "index.htm"
This page now becomes you "homepage."
Now, when you call up your URL, for example: http://www.mysite.com, you should be able to view your home page without having to include the name of that page within your URL (eg. http://www.mysite.com/index.htm")
How do I get a specific "title" to appear on the blue bar on my browser instead of just the webpage name (eg. page1.htm)?
To accomplish this, you need a <title> tag within your webpage. Here's what the tags would look like:
<TITLE>This is my title</TITLE>
The title tags should be placed within the <head> tags.
<head>
<title>....</title>
</head>
How do I set or change the background color of my webpage?
You will need to specifiy the background color within your <body> tags.
<body background="border.gif" link="#0000FF" vlink="#666666" text="#333333" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
"bgcolor" which represents the 'background color' is what you need to set to a specific color code.
link = color you chose for your hyperlinks
vlink = color of visited links
text = the default text color you set for your page
background = the graphic file you wish to use as part of your background. If you've ever wondered how some pages get a sidebar or a colorful background, this is how. In the example above, the file "border.gif" is used as a background border.
I've set the background color of my page to 'black' and now my text is not visible anymore. What do I do?
Since the default text color on most browsers is set to "black", the text will not be clearly visible on a dark background unless you specify a lighter text color such as white, yellow, etc. (any color that would be easily viewable on a darker background.)
To change the default text color, select the color code you want for "text" option in the <body> tag (as shown in the previous question above)
That's great! But what if I want to change my text color in the middle of the page?
All you need to do is use the <font> tags. These tags can also be used to change the font face and font size in the middle of the document. Examples are shown below.
For color change:
<font color="ffffff">this is the text i want changed </font>
Changing Size:
<font size="2">this is the text i want changed </font>
Changing font face/type:
<font face="Arial">this is the text i want changed </font>
Where can I find a color chart that shows all the colors (and the codes to use) that are available to me in HTML ?
Here's a chart you can use :
http://www.prodesk.com/warriors/color.htm
How do I create a hyperlink?
Let's say you want to link to another page on your site called "page2.htm" or to another site called "www.newsite.com"
You would use the following tags:
<a href="page2.htm"> ...click here to go to page 2... </a>
<a href="http://www.newsite.com"> ...click here to go to that new site... </a>
The filename in quotes, for example "page2.htm" or "www.newsite.com," will be the file that your link will point to. The phrase "...click here to go to..." can be replaced with any text that you want shown on your visible link.
I have saved a graphic image onto my website but my image still doesn't show up when I call up my web page.
This could be caused by any of the following reasons:
1. The "automatic image loading" option on your browser may be disabled. You can change this by going into preferences and deselecting/unchecking this option.
2. The image has to be saved in the same directory as the webpage. If this is not the case, then the directory should be clearly specified within your image tags on your page.
3. The name & extension of the image file should be exactly the same as the name given within your web page's image tags. Many times, we have seen files with JPG extensions that are being called up from a webpage using a GIF extension. This will clearly cause a problem.
4. Files can sometimes get corrupted while being transferred/uploaded to the website server. If this is the case, you would need to delete the current image file from your website and resend/upload a copy of it to your site.
I am using the <align=center> function but it's not working!
Some browsers require quotation marks (" ") around the values that go with attributes such as ALIGN, WIDTH, etc. If quotation marks are not used, some browsers will ignore the value that has been assigned to the attribute.
For example, when using the align attribute to center text,
Use
<align="center"> (with quotations)
instead of
<align=center> (without quotations)
How do I create a bulleted list?
To create a bulleted list, you need the <UL> and <LI> codes. The <UL> ... </UL> codes will indent the bulleted list and the <LI> code will create the bullet before each item, as shown below:
<UL>
<LI>Item one<br>
<LI>Item two<br>
<LI>Item three<br>
</UL>
The <br> code will break the text up and start a new line. If you need a line space between two bulleted items, you can replace the <BR> code with the <P> code (<P> creates a paragraph break)
How do I indent?
There are two ways texts are commonly indented. You would either indent the first line of a paragraph, or you would indent the entire paragraph.
To indent the first line, simply use the HTML word spacer  . This will create the required space(s) for you. For example, to create 4 spaces from the left margin, or between characters or words, you would need to repeat the word spacer code 4 times, separated by semicolons, as shown below:
To indent an entire paragraph or a block of text, you can use any of these methods:
a. Using a table:
<div align="center">
<table width="80%">
<tr>
<td> ...this is the paragraph that needs to be indented... </td>
</tr>
</table>
</div>
Use <div align="right"> if you only want to achieve indenting on the left side and remeber to end the table with <br clear="all"> in such a case.
You can also use the <UL> codes. However, the <UL> code may or may not work depending on the browser being used. Some browsers will ignore anything outside of the <LI> list
I just found out that some surfers turn their "automatically load image" option off. I also found out that I can use the "alt" tags so that the image boxes would be replaced with text instead. How do I do this?
The <ALT> tags can be very useful, especially if you're using images as links or navigational buttons. When the "image viewing" option is turned off, the person viewing your page will not know how to move around within your site or how to find out where the hyperlinks are - navigation will be a problem.
For example, if you have an image acting as a button which takes the viewer to the next page, he/she may not be able to get to the next page if the "image viewing" option on his/her browser is turned off.
By using <ALT> text such as "Click here to go to next page," you can let the viewer know what he/she is supposed to do regardless of the "image viewing" option status. The <ALT> tag can be used as follows:
<img src="nextpage.gif" ALT="this is the text displayed if image viewing is turned off">
How do I create a link so people can send me an e-mail?
Email link works similar to any other link except for one difference - It has the words "mailto:" added within the link. The example below shows you how this is done:
<a href="mailto:myemail@xyz.com"> ...Email me... </a>
I've seen the "mailto" link that automatically fills in the "Subject" line for you. Why would I want to use this type of link and how can I create one?
There is a simple method to creating an email link with the "subject." However, Netscape may be the only browser that is supporting this feature. Therefore, it may not be wise to use the "subject" line within your "mailto" tags.
At any rate, here's how it is done:
<a href="mailto:myemail@xyz.com?Subject=my subject">..Email me!..</a>
Our advise is to not use the "subject" code. It is not worth the trouble.
I have an image I would like to use but it is too big. Can I change the display size of it as it appears on my page without changing the actual size of the image?
Yes you can. Resizing of an image can be done by including the "width" and "height" attributes into your image tag.
In the example below, the image is resized to 40 by 40 units:
<img src="mypic.gif" width="40" height="40">
We would suggest that you not use "percentage" values (height="40%") when resizing images. It can cause complications and throw the formatting of your page off.
How do I offer downloadable files from my site?
To have a file or program available for download, upload the file to your server just as you would any other files including HTML or graphic images.
Your download site would now be the location where your file is stored. For example, if you have stored a file called "myfile.exe" on your server called www.myserver.com, under a directory called "downloads," the address you would give others would be:
http://www.myserver.com\downloads\myfile.exe
When they click on this link, they will be able to download the file.
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Please send questions or comments to suggestion@prodesk.com
Copyright (c) 1998 Bryan Kumar & Prodesk.Com
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